Emirati kickboxing champion Ilyass Habibali's lightweight clash with Michael Wakeling headlines the UAM Fight Night Pro Card’s opening event of the year at the Etihad Arena on Saturday.
Both combatants are also skilled in muaythai but Habibali says he and his team are confident in their game plan to beat the Briton.
“I watched a few of Michael’s fights with my trainers and have my game plans ready to take him on,” Habibali said at the pre-fight conference at Yas Rotana on Friday.
“It’s best of three rounds but I have no intentions of taking the fight into the full distance. I have prepared well and feel in great shape to take anyone at this point of my career.”
Habibali has a kickboxing record of 17 victories, including five knockouts, and two defeats.
“I want to win this contest for Abu Dhabi and in front of my fans,” he said. “I have been competing in both muaythai and kickboxing, which isn’t easy, but with good planning by my trainers, I have been able to adapt very quickly from one format to the other.”
In kickboxing, using clinches and elbows aren’t allowed unlike muaythai. And returning from three muaythai events isn’t the ideal preparation for Habibali, despite his claims of adapting quickly.
Habibali has had a run of three successful outings in muaythai, winning gold at the 2022 IFMA Muaythai World Championship in Abu Dhabi in June.
He followed up that success by taking bronze in the World Games in the USA in the following month and the title belt at the King’s Cup Super-8 in Thailand in December.
“Since then, I have trained in my kickboxing for over four weeks and feel I’m 100 per cent ready to take on Michael,” Habibali added.
“After the UAM fight night I go back to muaythai preparing for the Arab Championship in March and the World Championship in Bangkok in May. For now, the focus is on the fight against Michael.”
Wakening has similar beliefs of stopping Habibali on his Abu Dhabi debut.
“He’s a tough bloke but I’m here to win and that’s what you will see, come tomorrow,” he said.
In the co-main contest, Turkey’s Vedat Hoduk, 28, hopes to bring some relief to his people who suffered from the recent earthquake.
“It’s very difficult to focus in a fight when lives were lost following the devastating earthquake, but I wish I can bring some relief to them with a win here,” Hoduk said.
He meets Moldovan Lilian Porceireanu, 24, who makes his first appearance outside Europe in the super middleweight.
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 2
Keita 5', Firmino 26'
Porto 0
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
